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“Havana Streets” by Joseph Purdam

I believe I shot my first film frame when I was 3 years old on my Grandfathers Pentax 35mm. Apparently I was hooked, taking any opportunity to borrow the camera’s that passed in and out of my life. Having spent time living in America and India as a child, then in Japan and Canada in my early twenties and i’ve certainly kept the love for travel burning strongly throughout my life.

For this specific trip my brother and I were planning around three or four weeks in Mexico and two in Cuba. Our itinerary was fluid but we wanted to make sure we travelled as much of Cuba as we could in the time.

Starting in Havana our first Casa Particular host spoke zero english, not one word and illuminated his quaint apartment by crossing two live wires hanging out of the wall. And on the first night’s quest for potable drinking water we were accosted for many things other than “aqua” I can tell you.

Some friends gathered to get an old car back on the road (Image by Joseph Purdam)A Local Cuban taking a break out the front of his shop in Havana (Image by Joseph Purdam)

My fascination with travel photography I believe stems from the same place as others before me. The desire to understand the world from many and varied perspectives, to see how others live & how they view the world and interact with those around them. I use photography as a means to reflect on perspective, and when shared it’s an opportunity to give others an aperture, through which to view glimpses of the world in a way they otherwise may not.

A mural by Committees for the Defense of the Revolution, Cienfuegos (Image by Joseph Purdam)A local artist paints portraits late into the night, Cienfuegos (Image by Joseph Purdam)Young mother carries son through the streets of Havana (Image by Joseph Purdam)

We quickly found our feet in Cuba though, focusing on photography and music. With regular Cuban salsa lessons, frequenting Casa de la musica and ruetta evenings. We travelled from Havana down to Cienfuegos and Trinidad, experiencing typical multiple car failures and adventures that we were hoping for.

A vegetable vendor on a back street in Havana (Image by Joseph Purdam)The lovely mother of our casa particular host in Cienfuegos (Image by Joseph Purdam)Guard dog in training, Cienfuegos (Image by Joseph Purdam)

I learnt spanish as rapidly as I could, firstly learning the basics but quickly progressing to be able to graciously enquire if I could take a person’s photo plus the normalities of the basics of polite conversation starters.

A man cycles through Cienfuegos (Image by Joseph Purdam)Something tells me this car wouldn’t make it half way up the speedo nowadays (Image by Joseph Purdam)Humble mode of transport through Cienfuegos (Image by Joseph Purdam)

As a child I was fascinated with classic cars, mainly american 50s to late 70s and some european cult favorites. Naturally Cuba was like being a kid in a candy store, the abundance of character makes it hard to take bad photos really. I wanted to focus on genuine, candid portraiture of both the people and cars of Cuba. Paying respect to the resplendent colours and textures that revealed themselves at every turn. I did take some B/W film but found it hard to shoot in such a colourful environment. I mainly stuck to my all time favorite colour negative Kodak Ektar 100, and some Kodak Portra for good measure.

With me I had a Voigtlander Bessa R3a with a planar 50mm and a Contax T2 (yeah, I know, like every other 35mm film traveler – but this proved to be a perfect pair). I haven’t spent much time with RF 35mm setups but I found this a dream to shoot, and compact.

Portrait of a man who’s seen it all. Paseo del prado, Havana (Image by Joseph Purdam)A local man sits outside his shop in Trinidad (Image by Joseph Purdam)A car awaiting repair and a new set of wheels in Havana (Image by Joseph Purdam)Cuban woman observes the colourful behaviour on the street from her doorway. Havana (Image by Joseph Purdam)

My photographic journey started on film, but I largely shot digitally when I was doing it commercially, and then up until a few years ago I fell back in love with analogue capture. The genuine nature that I feel comes through with an analogue image is a huge part of why I choose to shoot film. When shooting equipment i’m comfortable with and film I know well, it feels like an extension of me and the reliance on “trust” becomes more apparent, that is “trusting in myself.” Allowing me to translate my feeling and interpretation of a scene fluidly into an image, a capture of that moment.

As I continue to travel and shoot, shoot and travel, I’m shooting my next few series on 6×6 and 645. I hope to share these with you in the future. I’d like to thank John for the opportunity, and the community for providing inspiring images and stories.

About Joseph Purdam

After spending a fair portion of my young life as a photographer, I am now focused on VR/360 content production professionally. Photography is no longer a job, but it has even more meaning in my life now than ever. Shooting is now more about the process, the love, and being present. I am forever chasing that last glimpse of light at dusk, when the clouds light up. Or that candid moment when a portrait subject really reveals themselves to you. I appreciate the luxury of shooting what I want, when I want. If I was a film I’d be Velvia 50.

Sergio Leyva Seiglie

Queensland - Australia

AFPS Feature: “Commuters”

Sergio Leyva Seiglie is a photographer born in Havana, Cuba and currently based in Sydney, Australia. His photographs has been showcased in the United Nations Headquarters in New York, the Aleppo 12th International Photo Festival and in various collective and solo exhibitions in the Australia, Cuba and Spain. His work has been part of Featured Shoot’s Print Swap and it has also been featured in publications such as Foto8, Inspired Eye Photography Magazine, Social Documentary Network and Japan Camera Hunter.

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Steve de Villiers

I developed an interest in photography when I bought my first camera almost 11 years ago for a college project. Ever since I have been involved in photography in one form or another. I studied Multimedia Design and Creative Brand Communications and pursued a career in the advertising industry for a short while, after which I got involved in a family business.

After a few years the lack of creative stimulation pushed me into a career as a full time photographer and I’ve never looked back. I have a love affair with portraits, landscape and travel photography. I am also a qualified RPAS or drone pilot with my own Aerial Video Production company.

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Andrew Jacona

Andrew resides in Sydney New South Wales and finds excitement and adventure through his family and travel photography. In the time until the next trip (unknown destination or when) he’s focusing his energy towards his family life.

Camera used was a Pentax 67II with the 45mm, 75mm, and 105mm. Fresh and expired films were used and 99% of the film was scanned personally on a Fuji Frontier SP3000 with a couple of frames through an Imacon 646.

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Nils Karlson

Nils Karlson lives in Germany and is passionate about colour and light, his dogs, great coffee & music. His works have been included in solo and group exhibitions in Bochum, St. Louis, and Vilassar de Dalt, and published in the Film Shooters Collective book “NSEW“, as well as in “The f/D Book of Pinhole“. In fall 2016, he published his first photo book “Earth Stands Still“, which sold out all 100 copies in less than three months. In May 2017, Nils Karlson was invited to the renowned Revela-T Analog Photography Festival in Vilassar de Dalt for the Artist Exchange Project. The fruits of the collaborative works will be exhibited during Revela-T Festival 2018. His latest publication – a photo journal entitled “Eyes Like Slumber“ can be ordered via his website. Currently, he is working on a collaborative multiple exposure project for 2018 involving almost 50 film photographers from all over the world.

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Meeda Khalifa

Meeda Khalifa is 31 years old (at the time of this article release) & born in Egypt. After living in Egypt till the age of 22, he is now a German national & has lived in Germany since 2008. Meeda is currently a full-time Aerospace Engineer in Hamburg. But his passion for diving kept him going through diving certifications until he reached the PADI Divemaster level in 2009.

Meeda’s plan for the future is simple, keep diving and keep shooting. He also hopes to keep being able to show the analog photography universe the wonders of the alien underwater world.

All the photos were shot using a Nikonos V camera with a single SB-105 strobe. For color shots mostly Kodak Portra 160 and 400 with a few exceptions of Kodak Ultramax. Black and white shots are with Ilford HP5 400 and Ilford PF4 160.

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Farley Webb

Farley is a photographer based in Melbourne, Australia. He loves black and white film and enjoys printing his work in a traditional photographic darkroom. This series of images was photographed on Ilford FP4+ and HP5+.

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Michael Jolliffe

Concentrating on black and white photography, Michael documents his family and friends as well as the landscape that surrounds him. Panoramic and underwater, Michael has a passion to explore different formats and perspectives in the documentation of his family.

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Arnaud Lefrancois

I am a French photographer living in Norway. I was initiated to photography at my youngest age when my dad put a K2 in my hands. I left photography aside for 20 years until I got hooked again by a paper printing course in the photo club of Ås university.

Since then, I try to catch pieces of my environment, obsessed by the idea of keeping memories of my friends, my family and the moments spent together. The film gives me the warranty to be here for decades.

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Sarah Black

Hailing from Melbourne, Australia, Sarah Black is a spirited and curious family photographer, using traditional film photography to capture families all over Australia. After nearly a decade spent mastering digital photography, Sarah is a multi award winning photographer who is now an enthusiastic advocate for the beauty of film on medium format and 35mm cameras. She is also passionate about lifestyle family photography, and strives to create, and capture, meaningful memories for her clients.

When she doesn’t have a camera in her hand, you can also find her sipping coffee, reading books, and trying to hear herself think over the sweet roaring of her family.